PRESS DIGEST-Canada - Nov 17

Nov 17 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL

Canadian home sales have now increased for six of the past seven months, as declining interest rates and cheaper mortgage rates prompt more buyers off the sidelines.

Canada's federal government is expecting the budget to pass a final confidence test by a slim majority on Monday as Liberals work behind the scenes to corral enough opposition votes to avert an election.

The Canadian federal government and Manitoba government have increased their funding towards a major expansion of the Port of Churchill in Canada's Hudson Bay region.

NATIONAL POST

Toys 'R' Us Canada has closed at least 38 stores this year and put another another dozen up for sale, with the firm now operating fewer than half of the locations it ran just four years ago.

Canada's annual inflation rate in October eased to 2.2% as gasoline prices dropped, food prices eased and mortgage interest costs came down below the 3% mark, data showed on Monday.